Ivanka Trump: US will reach its full potential when women are ‘economically empowered’

White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump told the Washington Examiner Friday the United States will only reach its full potential when women are “economically empowered.”

“This administration’s economic agenda is centered on growth and job creation and we recognize that only when women are economically empowered to thrive, will our families, our economies, and our societies reach their fullest potential,” Trump said in an exclusive comment to the Examiner.

Trump, a former businesswoman and mother of three, said in just the first 20 months her father has been in office, the large majority of American women are seeing the results of his economic agenda.

“Thanks to this administration’s commitment to economically empowering all Americans, almost every economic metric has improved since the president took office,” Trump said.

With Election Day weeks away, the White House is trying to rally support from a critical voter base: women.

They’re doing that by focusing on the work his administration has done to get more women working, boost resources for female-owned businesses, encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM fields, and address the gender pay gap by rolling out initiatives that would help women move up in their fields.

Since the senior Trump took office in January 2017, 2.2 million jobs that were added in that time have been filled by women. Of that number, 1.4 million of those women had previously not been in the workforce. That rush drove the unemployment rate for women down to 3.6 percent, the lowest in 65 years, Ivanka said.

President Trump campaigned heavily on economic issues in 2015 and 2016. He vowed to rip up trade deals that did not benefit the U.S., bring manufacturing jobs back to the states, and roll out tax cuts that would help families take home more money on pay day.

One month into office, Trump and Canadian President Justin Trudeau announced the bilateral Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. The initiative was stood up to support women start their own businesses and help those companies grow.

That same month, Trump ordered the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to do even more to encourage girls and young women to consider studying and working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields — industries that typically attract more boys than girls.

Ivanka, a former businesswoman herself, has focused heavily on advancing women’s issues through her position in the West Wing, including in legislation and in selecting the types of initiatives the White House takes on.

Early on in her role, she was an outspoken advocate for child care and maternity leave. She is still pushing for policy reforms that benefit women, albeit in a more behind-the-scenes manner in recent months.

In December 2017, Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that included language to make the child tax credit available to more families. The younger Trump was credited with doubling the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child.

The White House’s fiscal 2018 and 2019 budgets both included language for a nationwide paid family leave program — a first for any president. Ivanka has been the voice of POTUS’ Working Family Agenda and spurred Republican lawmakers to introduce legislation that answers Trump’s calls for reforms.

The 36-year-old also designed the president’s Pledge to America’s Workers, which has allowed 4.2 million students and workers to have access to additional job training and career growth.

In her appointed role, she also created the National Council for the American Worker, which the president signed an executive order for in July. The advisory board will inform the White House and top business leaders on how to expand apprenticeships and provide affordable options to allow workers to continue training.

Ivanka is best-known for her women’s empowerment work. Six months into the current administration, she announced a $50 million donation on behalf of the U.S. to the World Bank’s Women Entrepreneur Finance Initiative.

The program’s goal was to raise $1.6 billion to help female entrepreneurs globally, and as of last October, 14 countries had contributed $350 million.

Other initiatives she’s steered include the OPIC 2X Americas, a $195 million investment to financially support businesswomen in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Global Women’s Initiative, which will launch in January and is meant to help guide women worldwide through various issues they will face starting out in business.